


Only a Fragment Remains

by edensgay (buckybarfs)



Category: Far Cry 5
Genre: Angst, Comedy, Fluff, Gen, Multi, Other, all that good stuff, far cry typical violence and drugs, gender netrual dep usually, more to be added - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-13
Updated: 2019-03-09
Packaged: 2019-06-09 19:41:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 9,264
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15274827
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/buckybarfs/pseuds/edensgay
Summary: A collection of Hope County drabbles featuring some of our favorite characters.





	1. Pinky Promises

**Author's Note:**

> All of these are requests I've gotten from my tumblr! 
> 
> First up we have Sharky Boshaw x Gender Neutral!Dep with the prompt "Come here, you look like you need a hug."

“You aren’t gonna turn on me when this is all over or anything are ya?” 

  
Rook couldn’t help but frown at Sharky when he spoke up. They’d just finished barreling through a Peggie barricade, they’d held the truck steady while Sharky had crawled out the back window and onto the mounted gun. Both of them whooping and laughing as they blew through the roadblock and took out the remaining Peggies. It had been awesome, and now they were winding down parked several miles down the road. 

  
“I’d have to turn myself in.” They answered honestly, that didn’t seem to reassure him at all instead he looked even more worried. 

  
“It’s just, we started out on opposite sides and now we’re family and we’re on the same side and I just don’t want us to go back to bein’ on opposite sides.” He rambled when he was nervous and being open with the Deputy made him nervous as all hell. “I just haven’t had the best relationship with law enforcement. ‘Cause of starting fires and public masturbatin’, but is it even really public if I’m in my car?”

  
It took everything in Rook not to look around their shared stolen truck, with a suspicious eye. If they were to shine a blacklight on any place that Sharky frequented it’d probably look like a Jackson Pollock painting.

  
But that was something they loved about Sharky, not the public masturbating, they could go without that. Though he did have a point, he was in his car and he did have pretty dark tinted windows. It made them wonder how the cop had even seen him inside, they’d have to be pretty close and-They were getting off topic.

  
They loved his spontaneity, his strange mannerisms, his penchant for fire and his undying loyalty. Sharky was Sharky, and they loved him as he was. Which is why his next words broke their heart.

  
“You’re kind of my only friend.” His voice was small with his admission, he almost looked ashamed. 

  
“Shit, Sharky, come here, man. You look like you need a hug.” Without waiting for his answer they reached over and pulled him into their arms, squeezing him until they heard him wheeze in protest. His arms tentatively wrapped around Rook, holding them tight against him as he let out a shaky breath. 

  
“Friends forever, dude.” The Deputy said, grinning at him as they pulled away. They offered a pinky to the pyromaniac in front of them unable to contain their glee as he wrapped his rough finger around theirs. 


	2. No One Needs to Know

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: "No one needs to know." With Faith and a Gender Neutral Deputy!

If Rook was being honest they knew it was a terrible idea. When Faith had appeared by their side they’d assumed it was an apparition, a bliss fueled dream. It wasn’t until they’d walked side by side for thirty minutes making casual conversation that Rook realized the Faith by their side was the real Faith. 

  
The two hadn’t had a conversation this long before, usually it was Faith talking and talking while Rook looked around a bliss created world. To the Deputy’s surprise they got along pretty well, most likely because Faith was close to their age.

  
The two had settled down by the river, Faith playing with yellow flowers she’d found by the water. With a happy noise she held up the small wreath of flowers, approaching Rook with her offering.

  
When she got close Rook dodged her, wincing at the sight of the flowers. Faith’s happy expression fell, and Rook immediately felt guilty. 

  
“I made you a flower crown.” Her voice was soft, echoing in the small area in an ethereal pitch.

  
Rook eyed the flowers warily, “Sunflowers?” 

  
She nodded, holding the crown out to Rook with a childish smile on her face. She let out a happy squeal as Rook leaned into her, allowing her to place the crown on their head.

  
Rook stiffened as Faith sat down beside them. Nobody in the Seed family seemed to have any regard for personal space, Rook still wasn’t comfortable with how strangely touchy the family could be. 

  
They sat in silence as Faith leaned into Rook’s shoulder. Rook could smell hints of bliss on the girl, the scent wafting off her like a perfume. It was a wonder that the girl wasn’t brain dead with how much bliss she seemed to ingest on a daily basis.

  
“Will you play with my hair?” 

  
Rook found it hard to say no. She seemed so sad under it all, she’d been a person before this. Now even when she sat beside Rook she didn’t seem like a real person, as if she herself didn’t exist outside of the bliss.

  
It was sad. Which is why Rook didn’t say no.

  
Their hands deftly moved through Faith’s hair as she sat between their legs. She let out a sweet sigh as their fingers danced along their scalp. The Deputy’s hands twisted her strands into an intricate fishtail braid, it was something they’d learned after years of helping their little sister get ready for school.

  
“We can’t be friends, Faith.” Their voice was soft as they toyed with the end of the braid.

  
They could almost feel the girls frown, hanging heavy in the air.

  
“ _No one needs to know._ ” She said softly, glancing back over her shoulder to give Rook a rueful smile.

  
It was a fantasy. The two of them would never truly be friends, they both knew it. But that didn’t stop them from basking in each others presence as Faith laid in Rook’s lap, humming a cult song under her breath. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love feedback so much that I eat it.


	3. Privacy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: "Open the door." With Eli Palmer and Gender Neutral Deputy!

Rook had long since given up on privacy, since they’d decided to shack up at the Wolf Den they’d discovered it was nonexistent. Once Tammy had warmed up to them they’d joked about it, how nobody had any trace of modesty yet were still embarrassed by the lack of privacy.

The amount of times they’d walked into a room to see Eli tugging on his pants only to watch as the startled man fell over and became tangled in the legs once he realized they were in the room was amusing. They’d walked in on Walker while he was peeing once and Wheaty while he was fixing a stereo. Naked.

In small quarters there was no such thing as privacy, Rook seemed to be the only one who was okay with that.

Which is why they stood where they stood now, outside of the -for once- locked bathroom door, banging on it with all their might. “Eli, open the goddamn door.” They whined, pressing their forehead against the cool metal.

They heard a grumble from the other side, though they were unable to decipher what it was he said exactly they knew the sound to be something similar to a ‘fuck off.’ They could exit the bunker and go piss in the woods, but they’d been banging on the door for so long that they’d lost that option. If they didn’t go within the next few minutes they were going to go right there on the floor.

“Here, there’s a trick.” Wheaty mumbled from behind them, reaching forward and fiddling with the door. The door swung open, hitting the bathroom wall with a bang. Before they could thank him he disappeared down the hall, off to do whatever it was Wheaty did.

The Deputy let out a loud whoop, stepping into the bathroom without bothering to shut the door, ignoring the yelp that Eli made as he tried to hide himself in the shower. For the next forty-two seconds the only sounds in the bathroom were of running water, as Eli and Rook stared at each other in silence.

For Eli it was an uncomfortable silence, staring the Deputy in the eye while they peed and he was in the middle of a shower was not how he planned to start his day. For Rook it was just another day, they saw no problem with the events unfolding and almost enjoyed the look of terror in their friends eyes. A person who could pee in front of anyone was a person to be feared, someone who held that much power had no problem doing what needed to be done.

They washed their hands in silence, watching Eli through the mirror, holding his gaze as he waited for them to leave. “Hey, Eli?”

He made a gruff noise of acknowledgement, too uncomfortable to form proper words.

“So, you can manscape but not trim your beard?” They didn’t stick around for answer, snapping a picture memory of Eli’s look of horror as they ran out the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feedback is guaranteed to make me cry tears of joy.


	4. Close to God

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: "Oh, don't cry." With Joseph Seed and Gender Neutral Deputy!

“I’ve met a lot of preachers in my life.” Rook’s voice was soft as they looked at the Father, their head tilted at him. Their eyes not reaching his, instead looking at the way his mouth was set in a soft smile, happy to hear their voice.

  
Joseph was watching them with that strange intensity he had, his blue eyes glittering as he hung on to their every word. That was the thing about Joseph, he may be creepy, intense, and a little too Jesus-y for Rooks taste but he listened. Maybe later he would skew their words to fit his own agenda, pull truths from them that they had never admitted, but for now he was listening. 

  
The Deputy shook their head, as if they needed the movement to keep themselves grounded. “I don’t trust most of them, and I’m not saying I trust you.” They scoffed at their own words, they trusted Joseph Seed about as far as they could throw him. Even though he had the build of a twig he was a spindly thing, it’d be difficult to pick him up without having one of his sharp angles jut into them, let alone throw him.

  
“But they all take and take, never giving back, their faith is conditional.” They finished their sentence like normal, as if they hadn’t been thinking about how possible it would be to pick him up like a football and throw Joseph Seed as far as they could. 

  
He was patient, even though it was taking the Deputy ages to properly articulate their thoughts he looked upon them with that same soft look of understanding. He was a sick man, they shouldn’t find comfort in his gaze.

  
“You’re the only one who I think may actually be close to God.” They finally raised their eyes watching as a mess of emotions flitted across his face. 

  
He settled on an expression of adoration, his eyes glistening for reasons unknown to Rook. In Joseph’s mind he had saved them all, God had come down from the heavens and smiled upon him for turning the one true disbeliever, the breaker of worlds and bringer of the apocalypse. 

  
“Oh,” They paused, unable to look away from the intensity of his gaze, their stomach turning uncomfortably at the tenderness written on his face. “Don’t cry.” They fought off the urge to add a please and the even stronger urge to attempt to throw him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Give me feedback or give me death!


	5. Chocolate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: "Come here, you look like you need a hug." Jacob Seed x Gender Neutral Deputy
> 
> (So this is kept gender neutral with they/them pronouns but there is vague references to Dep having a period)

Jacob and the Deputy had an odd relationship, one that wasn’t quite friendly and wasn’t quite hateful. They weren’t friends and they weren’t enemies, they were two people who sometimes shared a bed and found comfort in the familiarity of each others bodies.   
  
When he showed up at their cabin he wasn’t sure what brought him there, maybe for another fuck or maybe to drag Rook kicking and screaming back to the cage where they belonged. He hadn’t made a full plan but he figured he’d decide when he saw them.   
  
What he hadn’t figured on was seeing them curled up on the couch, whimpering to themself and holding their stomach like they were trying to hide an injury.  
  
“Pup? Who hurt you?” He was the only one allowed to hurt the Deputy, well and his brothers, but he was protective of his pet and he’d kill whoever had wounded them. He moved to their side and threw his weight down on the couch, attempting to unfurl their arms so he could assess the damage.  
  
They shook him off with mumbled protests. “Mother Nature.”   
  
He glared at them, sighing to himself at their stubbornness. “Don’t try to be funny pup.”   
  
They let out another whine, glaring right back at him. “Not being funny. I have cramps.”   
  
So that’s what this was about. “Get up, can’t be that bad.”   
  
Rook let out a horrified noise, looking at Jacob as if he’d grown another head. “I can’t move, it hurts too much.” The sincerity in their tone surprised him, he’d heard it was that bad but hadn’t ever actually thought about it.  
  
Fine, if they were in that much pain he would take care of them, just for today. “Come here.” He gestured for them to crawl into his lap. “You look like you need a hug, pup.”  
  
With a grumble they acquiesced, curling up on his lap like a cat. His warm hands pet them softly, lulling them into an easy rest as his body heat soothed their soreness.   
  
“I actually need some chocolate.” They mumbled, their voice heavy with sleep as they let themselves relax into the soldiers lap.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1 Feedback = 1 Chocolate


	6. The Word

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: "Open the door!" With Joseph and Gender Neutral Deputy

It was much too early for this, when Rook had decided to settle down in the Henbane for a few days they hadn’t really thought it through. After a night or two of hearing strange sounds at night, sounds that most likely belonged to once normal creatures, they were fed up. They were going to leave later today, once they got the strength to get out of bed.

Until they heard it outside. At first they thought it was another animal, crashing through the forest in a Bliss induced haze, then they thought maybe a drunk. They never once thought for even a second that it could be a high as a kite Joseph Seed, a man who had been scoping their home out for a day before accidentally finding himself knee deep in Bliss.

Never had they expected this to be happening, they wouldn’t wish it upon their worst enemy.

Joseph Seed stood outside their cabin banging on all the doors and windows, loudly yelling and asking if they had heard the word.

They managed to escape their bed, but they were trapped in the house, unable to leave for fear of being pelted with the word of God. They retrieved their morning coffee from downstairs and retreated back upstairs where his word wasn’t as loud.

They watched from the window as he danced around the front of their house, holding up his book and singing praises like some type of woodland nymph. It was a strange sight and they almost felt bad for the man, though after all these years they figured he’d be better at avoiding the Bliss or at least have built up a tolerance.

“Deputy! Open the door!” He shouted, banging his open hand on their front door.  ****Then as if he knew just what would drive them insane he started to sing, as loud as his lungs allowed him.

It would be a cold day in hell before they let him into their home.

Then he fainted.

While they wouldn’t accept a loudly preaching high Joseph Seed in their home they would accept a passed out Joseph Seed into their home. Only to make sure that he didn’t get a horrific sunburn or eaten by a bear.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When you leave feedback I give you a piece of my heart in return.


	7. Shrek Hunt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: "Jacob goes to the swamp to convince Shrek to join his army for Eden's Gate." Jacob Seed and Gender Neutral Deputy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm about 99% sure this prompt was a joke, but I wrote it anyways.

It starts off as a joke. For some reason Sharky has  _never_  seen Shrek so Rook spends two hours trying to describe the essence of Shrek to a man who has no concept of what Shrek is.

After that they find that there’s a lot of people in Hope County that haven’t seen Shrek and somehow it goes downhill from there. They make the mistake of saying ‘ _Shrek is love, Shrek is life_ ’ and it fucking spirals. Somehow Shrek isn’t just a movie anymore, the green ogre almost seems to take on a life of its own.

Have you ever played the game telephone? The whole point of the game is to whisper something in someone’s ear and they have to repeat it to someone  beside them and it keeps going until it reaches the last person. The last person says what they heard and usually by the end of the game your totally innocuous sentence turns into something completely twisted that for some reason now includes seven extra words.

That’s what happened with Shrek because in a small place like Hope County word travels fucking fast. The people of Hope County have an annual Bigfoot hunting event. So, it only makes sense that for some reason Shrek would be a similar point of interest.

That’s how local cryptid legends about Shrek start.

Rook told one person about Shrek, and now all of Hope County is hunting him and talking about ‘ _encounters_.’

With.  _Shrek._

Rook doesn’t have the fucking heart to inform everyone that Shrek is a movie from 2001 about an ogre finding love in a princess - _who has a curse that forces her to occasionally shapeshift into an ogre_ \- only for her to be briefly taken away by a very short, very angry man before the two ogres marry and live happily ever after.

For some reason Shrek has given the people of Hope County a new life, and all Rook can do is roll with it. If thinking a big green ogre exists in their woods, living in a little hut close to the river makes the resistance happy then goddamn it they’re going to indulge.

Sharky only feeds them, he’s the only person besides Rook that knows it’s all a big fucking joke. He whispers stories to whoever will listen and has a reputation for going to popular Shrek hunting spots and rigging up ‘evidence.’ Rook shouldn’t encourage it but they do.

Rook is being chased by a small pack of wolverines - _which doesn’t even make sense because aren’t they supposed to be solitary?_ \- and ends up climb a tree to avoid them.

They’d been encouraging the rumors before they ended up halfway up a pine tree. The Deputy had destroyed some nearby wolf beacons, smashing them with a baseball bat. Before leaving and heading back towards the Wolf Den they pulled some onion skins out of their pocket and left them surrounding the site in an attempt to make it look like they had displeased Shrek and were being punished.

Because that’s where their life is at right now.

The tree has a crude drawing of Shrek on it, which leads them to reconsider their entire life as they wait out the swarm of wolverines.

Rook worried that the wolverines were a punishment from God himself, a warning saying to stop spreading rumors about Shrek.

What if Joseph Seed was right? He saw a collapse in the future, a great apocalypse come to wipe out those undeserving. Rook had started what could only be described as a Shrekpocalypse.

How had they gone from being a Junior Deputy to somehow fighting a Cult? How had they managed to distract said Cult by starting up what was essentially a Cult itself? Sure, in the rest of the world Shrek had a bit of a cult following but it was a  _fucking joke_.

Finally, the little buggers decide to leave and Rook wants to jump down immediately but instead worries that they’ll come charging back the second they leave the safety of the branches. So, they decide to give it few minutes before they shimmy their way down.

Then they hear voices and when they see who it is they know they’re not leaving anytime soon.

Jacob Seed leads a small pack of Chosen, one in particular pointing to the surrounding area giving him a rundown.

“There’s been reports of sightings of Shrek near here.” The Chosen says, proudly showing Jacob the small clearing.

There’s some bones in the clearing, most likely from a cougars last meal or maybe even  _Bigfoot_ , because right now Bigfoot existing is a hell of lot easier to process than the fact that  _Jacob Seed is leading a fucking hunt for Shrek_.

What have they done?

The Chosen rig up something similar to their wolf beacons. Except instead of making cow noises it makes donkey noises. How did Donkey go from being a kickass sidekick to being bait? How had this strayed so far?

Instead of meat inside there’s onions, a giant fucking pile of onions because the situation isn’t already ridiculous enough.

Jacob just stands there, watching it all and nodding to himself. He grumbles something that almost sounds appreciative before turning and walking back to wherever he came from.

Rook cannot fucking wait to tell Sharky that Jacob fucking Seed is hunting Shrek.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When you leave feedback Shrek sneaks into your house and blesses you in the middle of the night.


	8. Pigboy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Staci and Joey go on patrol together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a lot of fun to write! I love Joey and Staci behaving like siblings.

“Hey, remember that time you got your fuckin’ ass kicked by that miniature pony?” Of course he remembers it, how can he forget when Joey brings it up every chance she gets? They’ve been on patrol together for maybe three hours and it’s been pretty quiet, as it usually is living in a small town. The Peggies seem to have taken a day off from their usual shit and all the town drunks must have passed out in bed.

  
Which means that to keep things interesting Joey has resorted to bringing up all her favorite Pratt memories, one of which is the time he got beat up by a small horse. Earlier she mentioned the time his pants caught on fire and of course the time he was smooth talking a girl and decided to chug a beer to impress her, only to throw it right up on her shoes. He wished he’d called in sick today. 

  
He loved Joey like a big sister, she’d been the one to inspire him to join the force in the first place. But he also hated Joey like a big sister, she was always ruffling his hair and calling him kid or telling embarrassing stories about him to anyone who would listen. She was always the first person to step up and be his wingman when he wanted to hit the town and damn was she the best wingman. She’d always carry him home when he got too drunk and cover for him when he stepped out for his fourth coffee break on their shift. 

  
Staci and Joey played pranks on everyone in the office, nobody was safe, not even Whitehorse. Who after having his doorway saran wrapped for the third time sat them down for a meeting where it took him ten minutes to get words out, disappointed sighs took up the first half of the meeting.

  
She was his bestfriend, big sister, closest confidant, and best partner all rolled into one. Which is why it was a shame that he’d end up killing her if she kept speaking.

  
Thankfully, their radio chirped, Nancy’s voice letting them know about a disturbance over by the pig farm. Joey quieted down about the pony fiasco as she focused on speeding in the direction of the farm, Pratt prayed to God it wasn’t anything big. All he wanted was a quiet day.

  
It would seem that God had a grudge against Staci for his less than stellar church attendance record, because when they arrived at the pig farm it was anything but quiet. Zip Kupka was standing on one of the sheds, raising his hands high as he cheered on the pigs that were running in every direction. He’d set all the pigs free, and judging by how shiny the pigs were he’d poured some type of grease on them to help them avoid capture.

  
“Shit, Pratt. Get to getting the pigs, I’ll take the statements.” Joey said, intending to walk away and get off just like that.

  
“What? Why do I have to get the pigs?” This was going to be another horse fiasco, another story for Joey to tell at the bar. Another excuse for a gag gift at christmas, last years had been a shirt that says ‘My Miniature Pony Loves Me!’ Ha fucking Ha.

  
“You did the pig scramble when you were little right? I distinctly remember seeing a participation ribbon on your bookshelf.” Pratt opened his mouth to complain only to have Joey cut him off, “Besides, I have a bum knee, remember?” She shrugged and gave him a ‘what are you going to do’ look before heading off to get the statements. She only ever used her knee as an excuse when she wanted to get out of things.

  
Stupid Joey, yeah she had a bum knee and yes it was because she’d been doing search and rescue for a missing 8 year old and had fallen half way down a mountain and shattered her kneecap, only to still carry the child to safety. Okay, so she was kind of a hero, but why couldn’t the hero save the pigs? Why did ponyboy have to do it? 

  
He grumbled swear words under his breath as he rolled his sleeves, one day he would get gloriously injured and never have to do the stupid grunt work again. One day he wouldn’t be the first in line for pig catching duty, but today was not that day.

  
The bruises he got on his legs and the black eye he got from a very distraught pig were not regarded in a heroic light, instead he upgraded from ponyboy to pigboy. That Christmas Joey presented him with a shirt that had a cartoon pig on it with the words ‘Bout to go ham’ he didn’t laugh. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> feed me


	9. House of Horrors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gender Neutral Dep comes across something truly scary when attempting to break into the Veterans Center

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by art of Jacob done by nuclearnoa on tumblr!

  
  
The Veterans Center looked creepy enough during the day, but at night? It was like Halloween Horror Nights, Dep expected to see Freddy Krueger poke his head around a tree at any second. Did Jacob Seed have to work to make it this creepy? Did he run around making sure the windows had just enough dirt on them to create vaguely human shapes?   
  
Rook would have preferred to be anywhere other than here, being back at the perpetually cold Wolf’s Den with Wheaty chattering in their ear sounded like a dream. Sleeping on a too hard bunk in a former prison cell? Heaven. But no, they were stuck in the bushes outside of a building that would make even Jason turn on his heels and run.    
  
Every instinct in them screams to run for the hills and leave this place. If this was a horror movie they were the stupid idiot who went into the creepy building against all warnings.   
  
The area around the building was too still, too quiet. As if even the wildlife was afraid of disturbing the Monster House. There were no Peggie’s scurrying around as they did under the light of day, there was no stray howling or barking from the judges. Not even a peep from those held captive around the building.    
  
It was wrong, in every perceivable way.    
  
They tried to focus on something other than the creepiness of their surroundings, their mission would be a good thing to focus on. All they had to do was get past the gate and sabotage a few supply trucks. That’s it.   
  
It took some maneuvering and some admittedly overdramatic rolls and dodges that have them feeling like a movie spy but they end up where they need to be, under one of the cults semi trucks. A few minutes of awkward fumbling and rolling around and they’ve managed to cut some of the brake lines.   
  
Sure, it was a pretty simple thing to do but at the very least it’ll slow Jacob down for a few days and give the Whitetails time to regroup. Or if they’re lucky enough some time to strike back.   
  
They’re rolling out from under the last truck when they spot something interesting, it’s hard to tell in the dark but it looks like there are some cages off to the side of the building. Rook can’t see if they’re occupied or not but they do see a strange amalgamation of pipes over the cages. In a feat of pure adrenaline driven stupidity they slink closer to the cages to inspect the pipes.   
  
It almost looks like a misting system of sorts. But why would they be misting prisoners?   
  
The Deputy squints around with a hand shielding their eyes, pausing briefly to wonder why they’re protecting their eyes from the sun when it’s almost 2 in the morning, and then they spot it. The pipes are jury-rigged to barrels of bliss.   
  
Their stomach ties in knots thinking about it. Jacob Seed has brainwashing down to an art, and they have an opportunity to throw a wrench in his plans. They’ve already completed their mission and in the back of their mind they feel the lumpy couch back at the Wolf’s Den calling to them, but they have to do something.   
  
They have a chance to hit Jacob hard and fast, rarely does a better opportunity present itself. Rook can’t  sit around with their thumb up their ass and do nothing. They might even be able to help Staci.   
  
On the ground there’s a lump of wires that look like they might lead to some power source, they also look like a major fire hazard but far be it from them to judge the Chosens electrical engineering skills. What feels like years later they flatten themselves against the building where the wires appear to lead, though there’s a huge chance that they’re in the wrong spot completely and are about to get themselves killed.   
  
The window near them is open about an inch, which hopefully means there’s no alarm system attached to it. The noise it makes when they inch it open grates on their ears, compared to the deafening silence around them the window sounds like a bomb going off. It squeaks open inch by painstaking inch until it finally is open wide enough for them to crawl through.    
  
Rook finds themselves in a hallway, so far so good. If they're lucky there’s a control room somewhere nearby because every hair on their body is standing on end. The building is creaking and they half expect to see two little girls standing at the other end of the hallway. They need to get out of this hellhole as fast as possible.   
  
They go right but only because it doesn’t carry the same evil twin vibe that to the left does. All seems to be going well, there’s a door at the end of the hall that’s fallen open the tiniest bit with some faint light coming through the crack. The Deputy takes a moment to steel themselves and cross their fingers, hoping that they made the right choice and aren’t about to get themselves captured.    
  
A kitchen. It turns out to be a kitchen. They definitely followed the wrong wire. Come to think of it was it even a wire? Or was it some type of vine? Their night vision sucks.   
  
Not only is it not where they wanted to end up but the light they saw turns out to be from the fridge. A strange figure clad in white is standing hunched over searching the fridge for a late night snack, Rook freezes at the sight and hopes that they can back out of the room before the ghost thing notices them. They take a few steps back and it almost seems like they’ll get away with it until they bump into the door frame and the ghost looks up.   
  
It’s not a ghost.    
  
It couldn’t be further from a ghost.   
  
The blue eyes filled with confusion and lids heavy with what they can only assume is sleep meet their horror filled eyes. Jacob Seed is basking in the light of the fridge, presumably having come down to hunt for a midnight snack. The worst part? He’s in a wolf kigurumi.    
  
Why couldn’t it be a ghost?   
  
Rook would have preferred to quite literally run into Michael Myers himself because this is a new kind of horror movie and they don’t know the plot. Do they turn and run screaming? Do they throw something at him? Say ‘hello’ and then get disemboweled for being stupid enough to greet a murderer?   
  
He squints at them like he’s trying to figure out if they’re real or not and the Deputy desperately wishes they could disappear. “Leave.” His voice is rougher than usual, backing up their theory that he had in fact just woken up and was still half asleep.   
  
They nodded in rough jerky motions until their neck felt sore as they continued their backing up. “Good idea.” If they were less horrified they would have stopped to wish they had a camera, but at that moment all they could do was turn and run for their life. Just in case Jacob realized what had happened and decided to hunt them down to keep them from spilling the secret about his choice of leisure wear.    
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> feedback,,,, please,,,, my children are starving


	10. Glorious

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Based on this prompt: hhh I’m such a sucker for faith!! Could I req some faith x gender neutral dep ? maybe where faith has a huge crush on dep but doesn’t know how to tell them, because yknow dep doesn’t trust her ?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hewwo????

She’d never had much experience with romance in her teenage years, and by the time she found the Father there was no time for it. Being a Herald kept her busy, John may have found time to entertain people in between his duties but Faith wasn’t like John. Romance had never been that important to her.

 

Drugs had once been important to her. Her one attempt at romance had been dragged through the mud, all promises of love severed with the words ‘get help’.

 

So why was she standing holding a bouquet of flowers? 

 

The first time she’d left a flower on the Deputy’s doorstep, a borrowed doorstep from an abandoned home, she’d watched from the treeline as they came outside and crushed the flower with a huff. She’d tried again, and again, each time being met with more and more hostility. The Deputy seemed to think Faith was mocking them with her offerings, a display of the power of the flowers held over them. 

 

But no, they were simply a gift from an amorous young woman who had no idea how to engage with the object of her affections. 

 

The first few times she’d left bliss flowers, before escalating to garlands of flowers strung over whatever vehicle they hadn’t destroyed that week. Once she realized maybe the bliss flowers were what was upsetting the Deputy she’d started making wreaths of wildflowers, leaving the brightly colored buds on the nearest available space.

 

In all the big romantic movies it was always flowers, flowers always won someone over.

 

Once upon a time flowers had won Tracey over, but that was a distant memory, puppy love left in the ashes of an old life.

 

_Flowers_.

 

It had to work eventually. 

 

Something about Rook appealed to her, their strong moral compass was endearing, even if it was pointed the wrong direction. One day that drive, that ambition to win, to do the right thing would lead them to the right side, her side. 

 

But until then she waited, creating delicate bouquets out of sweet smelling flowers in her free time, singing love songs to herself under her breath while she worked. She shaped the bliss into what would one day be their escape together, one day they’d both be free.

 

The Father was resolute in his belief that the Deputy would one day join them, that eventually, they’d see the light. They were a smart person, and Joseph’s way was the only way that made sense. One day they’d understand. They’d march to Eden’s Gate together, bask in the glory of the new world.

 

Change happened slowly, while the resistance gained more and more of a foothold the leaves slowly began to change colors. Her influence grew and grew despite the war cry of her former best friend. In Hope County, things were changing and the Father was sure it was for the better, John and Jacob seemed hopeful. 

 

But the number of people who arrived on her doorstep, lost and looking for something to believe in was growing. More and more people seemed to lose their faith, but she was there, waiting with open arms to lead them back to the path. Just as she would do for the Deputy one day.

 

She’d lead them back to the path, to the light of the new world the Father spoke of. They’d walk through Eden’s Gate hand in hand, secure in the belief that they were right. The thought kept her beliefs grounded, the knowledge that something better was coming, something glorious.

 

The Deputy’s heart slowly softened, by the time the leaves coated the ground they’d warmed to her. They finally seemed to realize the flowers weren’t malicious and instead tokens of affection.

 

When once they would stomp on the blooms and shriek to the heavens asking why they now cradled the flowers in their calloused hands, careful not to crush the velvet petals. They’d bury their nose in the sweet center and sigh, tension draining from their body for a few moments as they basked in the affection. 

 

Something had changed in them, and the Father was convinced their time was near. 

 

They were welcomed into the bliss once more, they used to fight it, now they relaxed into the fog. The Father held their face and told them that soon they’d join the family, soon they’d put all this foolishness behind them and march to Eden’s Gate behind the Father as the Lord had intended. 

 

Once they’d recoiled from his touch, now they sank into it, closing their eyes and letting his word wash over them, letting him cleanse.

 

Seeing the Deputy so close to forgiveness, so close to Eden should have filled her with joy, but instead something heavy settled in the pit of her stomach. As she watched them staring dreamily into the latest array of flowers, the last of the season, she saw them for the first time. 

 

The look in their eye was defeated, broken down, tired. The bags under their eyes showed how close to truly giving up they were. They were not being won over, they were being broken and beaten into submission. 

 

Jacob’s optimism, his promise that their training was almost complete, that they were close. John’s insistence that they were soon to atone, that soon enough they’d embrace the title of wrath and denounce their past. 

 

Their drive, their willingness to fight for what they believed in had been what attracted her most. Their life attracted her, their ability to choose, their _freedom_ attracted her. 

 

The Father said it was almost time.

 

So she waited.

 

And waited.

 

And waited.

 

One day they would be together, one day they’d be set free and it would be _glorious_.

  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i love feedback!!


	11. Big Buck

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> based on the prompt: ushshhhuhuhu “please don’t leave” with Jacob x gender neutral reader !!!!!!  
> i have a feeling they wanted fluff :) instead they got this

  
You’d been hunting this over sized hormone filled buck for too damn long. You’d heard that big bucks weren’t the best to hunt because they didn’t taste as good due to the hormones and what not. You weren’t to sure on the logistics, you didn’t particularly care.  
  
When the buck had come into your crosshairs you’d taken a shot at it, figuring why the hell not. Maybe you would catch it, maybe you wouldn’t.  
  
That was your first mistake.  
  
You’d missed and in that moment it became your mission to get this buck. You had nothing else to do today, hunting the buck would give you something to do. Plus, it would be a huge boost to your ego to be able to take down something of that size.  
  
It stayed close, instead of running in the opposite direction the second it got shot at. It almost seemed to be taunting you, and you refused to lose to a buck.   
  
Second mistake, assuming you would know what to do with it once you’d finally taken it down.   
  
When you’d finally taken the buck out you approached it with caution, as if it still might get up and run away. It took you two hours of chasing to finally take it down. Two hours. You’d thought you’d gotten it at least three times, the fear of it getting up and walking away was very real.  
  
Once you made it to the animals side you hunched over and heaved, gasping for air with so much greed that you were sure John Seed would scold you. You’d worked so hard trying to take the buck down that you hadn’t even thought of what to do after.   
  
With how big it was there was no way you’d be able to carry it back to the cabin you’d taken up residence in, it was at least two miles back. The thought of carrying the huge animal back there made your legs scream in protest.   
  
Little did you know that while you were hunting you were being hunted.  
  
Jacob Seed had been stalking through the underbrush following you since you’d started your little impromptu hunting trip. You’d made it too easy, you were so focused on the buck that you didn’t bother checking your surroundings. It was a wonder you hadn’t gotten yourself killed yet.  
  
Now he sat on a perch a few hundred yards away from you, watching as you struggled to first drag the deer then try to maneuver it onto your shoulders in a fireman carry. He chuckled to himself as your legs wobbled and eventually gave out, leaving you pinned on the ground by the dead buck.  
  
After a few minutes of struggling you gave up, resigning to your fate.   
  
Jacob took this as his cue to intervene, he wished he had a camera. John would kill to see this.  
  
“You stuck, pup?”  
  
You sighed heavily at the sound of Jacob’s voice, your sigh turning into a sputtering cough as the buck weighed down on your chest. Why did you have to go after the biggest possible buck?   
  
Why had you listened to the part of you brain that said you needed it? Why hadn’t you listened to the much larger part of your brain that said you didn’t need it.  
  
“No, this is how I relax.” You sassed back, you may have needed help but your pride refused to ask Jacob Seed to lift the stupid animal off of you.  
  
His eyes narrowed as he tried to give you a withering look, the effect wasn’t as intended due to the shit eating grin on his face. “I’ll leave you to it, then.” He shrugged and turned to leave, knowing full well that he wouldn’t make it five steps without you calling him back.  
  
You watched him leave, fully intending to let him go until one of the bucks antlers started poking your ear.   
  
“ **Please don’t leave.** ”  
  
A victorious smile broke out on his face though he made sure to neutralize it before turning around. “What’s wrong, pup?”   
  
He sounded far to smug, you hated him. He knew damn well what was wrong, he didn’t need to hold it over your head. He squatted beside you, smirking down at you.  
  
“I’m stuck.” You admitted, grumbling like a petulant child as you looked everywhere but at him. Your own pride had gotten you into this situation and now you had to sacrifice it and allow Jacob Seed to save you.   
  
“Should have just said that.” His tone of voice was condescending and it made you want to kick the hell out of his knee caps. He stood up and easily pulled the buck off of you, tossing it over his shoulders with grace that a man his size shouldn’t possess. Without stopping to help you up or make sure you were okay he took off in the opposite direction of your cabin, with your deer.   
  
“Hey! Wait, where are you going?” You scrambled to your feet, stumbling a bit as you tried to catch up to him. Your question came out as a breathless whisper, your chest feeling tight and bruised from the weight of the animal.  
  
“Home.”   
  
“That’s my buck! I shot it fair and square.” You whined, trotting and tripping through the underbrush as you attempted to keep pace with him.   
  
He made an abrupt stop, causing you to smack into his shoulder with a loud groan. “Consider it payment for helping you.” The look on his face made it clear he’d reached his limit with you, there was an obvious hidden meaning in his words  _‘Consider it payment for not killing you on sight.’_  
  
You swallowed your pride and accepted the loss, better to lose the buck than your life.


	12. Snowball Fight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Based on the prompt: Do you think you could write a fluffy Jacob and Female Deputy one shot where they are having a snowball fight/playing in the snow?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've never been in snow. How does this shit work?

“You’re coming back with me, pup. Whether you like it or not.” His voice was a sickly sweet coo, as he worked his way through the snow, following the footprints the Deputy had left. They stopped at the base of a huge tree and when he looked up he saw a smug looking Rook with her arms crossed.

She shook her head and stuck her tongue out like a petulant child. “No.”

“Careful, I’ll cut that tongue off if I see it again.” It was a playful threat, if threats could be playful. There was mirth in his eyes, the snow affecting the residents of Hope County in a way that Rook hadn’t expected. Every seemed happier, almost like the snow lifted a weight from their shoulders. All because of some slush from the sky.

Apparently, snow gave Jacob Seed a sense of humor. Who’da thunk.

“And eat it?” She rolled her eyes at him and stood up on her branch, prepared to scramble higher into the tree if he decided to climb up and drag her down.

“I’ll cook it in my slow cooker.” The image of Jacob Seed having a slow cooker was enough for her to let her guard down, unashamed laughter erupting from her as she clung to the tree for stability, her body rocking with laughter.

He made an annoyed grunt, making it clear that he grew tired of her stalling and to hurry it along. She had three choices; run, give up, or talk her way out of it. She chose to attempt the last one and settle for the first if shit hit the fan.

A plan came to mind, it was a half thought out plan and had a ninety percent chance of failing, but it was her only plan. “I have a proposition for you.”

He raised an eyebrow as his face fell into an easy smirk, Rook couldn’t stop the sigh that escaped her lips. “Not that kind. I challenge you to a snowball fight, if I win I live free for another day. If you win, I surrender and go with you.”

“Oh but, pup, dragging you back kicking and screaming is my favorite part.”

It was a bad plan and she knew that it wouldn’t work. “Then if you win I’ll kick and scream extra.” There wasn’t anything else she could offer him, if he didn’t take her offer then she was going to do her best to jump from the tree and land on his head. Hopefully knocking him out, though she knew it would more likely end up with her knocking herself out.

Instead of replying he bent down, scooped up a handful of snow and threw it at her before turning and running behind the largest tree in the area. “You have thirty seconds to get down from the tree.”

Rook hastily wiped the snow from her face and scrambled her way down the tree, moving to hide behind it so she could start forming enough snowballs for a militia. She had only a minute to roll out of the way before a snowball went whizzing past where her head had just been.

“You should give up, pup.” He hummed, she froze at the sound of his voice. It seemed like it was everywhere around her, she really should have taken Eli up on his offer to show her around the Whitetails.

It may be a little cheatsy but after throwing a rock to distract Jacob and bring him in the opposite direction she reaches into her bag and gets a slingshot, preparing to pelt him with her stock of snowballs. To be fair, Jacob has a killer throwing arm, if she needs a slingshot to keep up with him then so be it. Nobody had explicitly said she couldn’t use it.

The fact that he’s even humoring her and having a snowball fight is insane to her, she knows that even though they made a ‘deal’ he won’t let her go. Luring her into a false sense of security is just as much a part of the chase as the kicking and screaming. She has to out smart him somehow.

She pulls a vial out of her bag and pours a few drops of the liquid onto one of her snowballs, setting it aside for later.

Rook peaks around her tree and see’s Jacob’s back, creeping away from her, this is her chance. She picks up a snowball and loads it into her slingshot, aiming at Jacob’s back before releasing and sending the ball flying at him. She hits him with two more before he turns around and looks at the tree she’d ducked behind.

A barrage of snowballs pelts her tree and makes her heart skip a few beats.

“It’s going to take a lot more than that to take me down, pup.” His voice is low and raspy as it fills the air, promising her that she won’t get out of this free. She can hear the crunching of his feet in the snow as he approaches her tree, it’s time to put the plan into action.

He’s far enough away that she can duck into some nearby bushes and roll into a tree a few feet from her first one. When Jacob peers around the base of her old tree she loads her slingshot up with her special snowball and takes a deep breath. “Hey, Jake! Over here!”

He turns to her and as soon as she leans around the tree she’s hit with two snowballs, one in the face and the other in the chest. The one hitting her chest so hard it knocked the wind out of her and sent her to the ground, leaving her sat in the snow staring up at the tree canopy wondering how her life had gotten to this point.

“That all you got pup?” He doesn’t sound amused anymore, if anything he sounds more like a disappointed dad. She can hear him getting closer, if this doesn’t work she’s in for it, she scrambles backwards in an attempt to create some distance.

One of her hands finds her special snowball and loads it into the slingshot, the sight doesn’t deter Jacob as he continues stalking towards her, his eyes darkened with the lust of the hunt.

“I don’t know, why don’t you take a deep breath and see?” The tone of assurance easing into her voice is enough to make him suspicious. Then she lets it rip, shooting the ball of snow directly into his face, watching with smug satisfaction as the snow settles in his beard.

He inhales with a frown for a second before his eyes widen and the sickly sweet stench of bliss hits him. Without a word he charges at her, falling flat on his face halfway, a soft groan escaping him as he face plants into the snow.

A pleased Rook dances over to him, rolling him over so his face isn’t in the snow. She has to move fast because such a small dosage won’t keep Jacob Seed down for long, but for now she has won. “See ya next time.” She croons before turning on her heel and dashing through the underbrush, she doesn’t care about leaving a trail, all she cares about right now is getting somewhere far away from the wrath of Jacob Seed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> feeeeeeeeeeedbaccccccckkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk


	13. Vacation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eli takes a relaxing vacation to Hawaii after narrowly escaping death. Its all sandy beaches, clear skies and screwdrivers. Oh and the sound of his phone ringing because of that groupchat from back home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> request(?): After the events of fc5, Eli having evaded death decided to go on a relaxing vacation to Hawaii. He regularly sends badly taken selfies to the wheaty, tammy and the deputy

Eli decided he really liked Hawai’i. The sunny beaches and fine mist of rain that came down every morning in Maui were so different from what he was used to. He still loved Montana of course, Hope County would always be his home. Now that the damn cult had been taken care of he loved it even more, but Hawai’i was still a welcome change.

He could almost pretend nothing had happened if he ignored the slight twinge in his chest every time he moved too fast and pulled on the scar tissue. Eden’s Gate was nothing but a shitty memory, one that he’d been drowning in screwdrivers.

As the waves lapped at his toes his mind wandered back to his friends and he wondered how they were doing. He’d been here for almost two weeks now, in that time he’d texted everyone enough to keep them from worrying. They’d all somewhat gone their separate ways, remaining close through the groupchat Wheaty had started.

The name had gone downhill, it’d started as ‘ ** _WHITETAILS ONLY_** ’ and shifted to ‘ _ **WOLF CHAT**_ ’. Rook had changed it to ‘ _ **FURRY SQUAD**_ ’ which had stayed for almost a full week until Wheaty had named it ‘ _ **YIFFSTERS**_ ’.

When Eli had asked what a furry was and later what a yiffster was Wheaty had encouraged him to google it while Rook had insisted he not. He still hadn’t gotten the courage to look it up.

He missed them.

With one hand he lifted his umbrella drink to his mouth and took a sip, with the other he fumbled for his phone. When he opened it he had a few dozen unread texts from the chat, mostly it was Wheaty and Rook arguing over music while Tammy occasionally stepped in and told them they were both wrong.

The conversation had eventually died only to be resurrected by a picture of Rook and Pratt with Wheaty, all of them making dumb faces. It was still strange to see Wheaty in the green uniform of a Deputy instead of the Whitetail green but he smiled nonetheless.

Tammy had replied with a picture of what she was doing, her rifle neatly disassembled with cleaning tools spread across the table.

A few others had replied with similar pictures of themselves or whatever they were doing, Chad had sent a selfie that could hardly be considered a selfie. It was zoomed in to the point where it was hard to discern what was going on, though he was pretty certain that his beard was on fire.

Eli’s stomach twisted with homesickness as he stared at the chat. In a spur of the moment decision he decided to send a selfie back to the chat, the first selfie he’d ever taken. He did not expect the overly enthusiastic response he got from his family.

Big Buck: [image description: Eli holding an umbrella drink and grinning at the camera.]

 **Whole Grain:**   _TFTI_

 **Big Buck:**   _I don’t know what that means._

**Wole Grain:** _GLOTI_

**Big Buck:** _what language is that_

**Big Dep Energy:**   _baby’s first selfie!!!!!!_

**Whole Grain:** _i’m so proud :’)_

**Big Dep Energy:**   _your chest hair is glistening_

**Big Buck:** _Please never say that again._

**Tammy (STOP CHANGING MY NAME):**   _You got your hair trimmed finally, it looks good._

 **Grill Master:**   _[thirty second long accidental pocket recorded voice message]_

**Whole Grain:** _[image description: A very zoomed in picture of the Deputy scowling.]_

**Big Dep Energy:**   _[image description: An off guard Wheaty making an ugly face.]_

He couldn’t stop the grin that spread over his face as he stared at the screen, he missed home. The vacation was nice but he wanted to be back in the mountains, rebuilding his home with his friends. They were idiots, but they were  _his_  idiots.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i've never written something like this before but it's been sitting half finished since last year so i figured i should finish it. feedback makes me cry tears of joy

**Author's Note:**

> If I don't get feedback I shrivel up a die :v


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